Our June newsletter
AYLESBURY VALE ADVANTAGE – June newsletter
Welcome to the June 2010 newsletter from Aylesbury Vale Advantage (AVA), the delivery agency for the Aylesbury Vale growth area.
Berryfields– Work on one of Aylesbury Vale’s biggest developments gets underway in the next few weeks. Berryfields, which is being developed alongside the A41 and by the Aylesbury Parkway rail station, will see 3,250 homes being built over the next few years. In addition the development includes the Aylesbury Vale Academy – providing students with high tech skills – plus shops, schools, community facilities and employment areas.
AVA played a key role in unblocking some of the many difficulties that stood in the way of this crucial development – particularly in the major economic downturn of the last couple of years – by releasing growth funds to enable progress to be made.
Shortlisted for award – Incidentally, AVA has been shortlisted for a national award for its work on Berryfields. Its behind-the-scenes work has been recognised by its shortlisting in this year’s Homes and Communities Awards, co-sponsored by the Government’s Homes and Communities Agency and the magazine Regeneeration and Renewal.
Weedon Hill – Meanwhile, plans are being submitted for the final phase of the successful Weedon Hill housing development, north of the town. The recession affected Aylesbury Vale’s housing delivery target, but not as severely as other parts of the country, and AVA has played an important role in keeping initiatives rolling. Further phases of development are continuing at Stoke Mandeville Hospital and the former Princess Mary hospital site in Wendover.
Aylesbury Station lifts – AVA was also able to provide growth funding towards a Transport for Buckinghamshire and Chiltern Railways initiative to install lifts at Aylesbury’s central station. The lifts improve accessibility to all those visiting Aylesbury, but in addition the station is a key transport interchange for patients at Stoke Mandeville Hospital, many of whom faced difficulties before the lifts were installed because access from one platform to another meant crossing the line. The lifts will also be invaluable when thousands of disabled athletes and spectators travel to Stoke Mandeville via Aylesbury for the 2012 Paralympics.
Superfast Broadband – AVA’s Board has agreed to contribute £80,000 towards the dramatic expansion of superfast Broadband in the Aylesbury Vale area. With so many businesses and individuals in the area increasingly reliant on top speed Broadband in order to be economic and competitive, AVA is supporting the Buckinghamshire Economic and Learning Partnership in its programme to vastly increase Broadband speeds in the county.
Aylesbury Waterside – One of the highlights of Aylesbury’s year will be 
the opening of the council’s Waterside Theatre in the autumn. AVA has played a part in the regeneration of this central part of the town by providing up to £2.5m worth of investment – subject to certain conditions – that will help provide a pleasing environment and innovative design in the area immediately around the theatre. The funds will also help towards the demolition of the Civic Centre – another part of the Waterside regeneration.
This multi-million pound regeneration scheme, led by Aylesbury Vale District Council, Buckinghamshire County Council and AVA is just part of a district-wide programme of investment that will help create and sustain the thousands of new homes and jobs that are planned for the Vale by 2026.
Infrastructure – AVA continues to play its part in the preparation of proper infrastructure, such as transport links and energy supply, not just for the planned expansion in and around Aylesbury, but in areas such as Silverstone and Buckingham. We’ll have more news in our next newsletter.
You can find out more about AVA on our website, www.aylesburyvaleadvantage.co.uk
AVA shortlisted for national award
Aylesbury Vale Advantage has been shortlisted for a national award for its work on the new Berryfields housing development north of the town.
Builders are due to start this month on the major development alongside Aylesbury Parkway Station, which will comprise 3,250 homes plus shops, schools, community facilities and sites for jobs.
Aylesbury Vale Advantage (AVA) is a delivery agency company tasked with sorting out problems associated with major developments, which often involve a variety of groups and organisations from the public and private sectors.
AVA was able to speed up the progress of Berryfields by dealing with complications involving the supply of electricity, the building of the railway station and obtaining agreements over planning arrangements.
The behind-the-scenes work has now been shortlisted for a prize in this year’s Homes and Community Awards, co-sponsored by the Government’s Homes and Communities Agency and the magazine Regeneration and Renewal.
Richard Harrington, AVA’s Managing Director, said: ”We are very pleased to be shortlisted for this award. Berryfields is a significant development for the future of Aylesbury Vale and we were able to facilitate public and private sector bodies working together to bring it about. We were also able to use Government growth funds to help unblock some of the difficulties.”
The award winners will be selected in September.
